Eurolines pass

[IrishMonkey]

So I've spent a few days trolling for the best airline tickets from city to city when I go over to Europe in March...only to then stumble across the Eurolines bus pass which seems to be the cheapest, and thus best way to go. haha.

But I can't find much information on it and was hoping someone here has used it before? The 15 or 30 day passes...are they consecutive days (as in I have from March 1-15 to use it?) or are they a set number of days in a given period (i.e. I have 30 days in 3 months?)

I'm sure bus travel won't be the most exciting or comfortable way to go around Europe but my friend and i are more interested in cheap and flexible travel than comfort, so any info or advice on these passes would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[MuvverRussia]

I used the 15 day pass back in 2004. It's consecutive days, once you've taken your first journey on the pass you have either 15 or 30 days to use the pass.

One thing to remember is that the Eurolines pass can only be used for international trips (with some long distance exceptions, such as London to Edinburgh). I didn't find this to be an issue, as I made alternative arrangements when travelling within a country, but factor it in to your plans.

Also, when booking coach journeys you'll have to be slightly flexible, as you can only book 1 journey at a time. Also you have to be in the country the journey leaves from to make the booking.

The long distance buses aren't that bad. Sure they're not as comfortable as the train or flying, but they're not bad. I generally found that you get a little bit more room on them than on a standard coach, plus after 30 days you'll learn what seats to pick, how to adjust your seats etc.

I found that I managed to see more from a bus than from a train too. The journey from Vienna to Milan was especially good for that, as the bus climbs through the Alps - the scenery is pretty good. Also you get to see lots of small towns when you stop off, which is another bonus.

Finally, the price is pretty good, significantly cheaper than inter/eurail. For that alone it's worth a look.

[IrishMonkey]

Thanks.

I was just looking on their website at the ordering information and when i put everything in, even though I qualify for their "youth" prices it comes up as the adult price of 299 euro's. Is there another website I can order from that will give me the youth price?

[MuvverRussia]

The only site I know of is www.eurolines-pass.eu/. However I didn't buy my pass there, instead I got it from their ticket desk in London.

Best bet would be to call them or email them. I'm sure they'll be able to sort the problem out.